Automatic and manually operated multiple switch fire alarm station



Sept. 15, 1953 LEVY I r 2,652,463

AUTOMA I AND NUALLY OPERATED MULTIPLE ITCH FIRE A M T TION Filed 7 Dec. O

/ INVENTOR A TYUEAE'Y Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC AND MANUALLY OPERATED MULTIPLE SWITCH FIRE ALARM STA- TION Morris Levy, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application December 27, 1950, Serial No. 202,865

(Cl. ZOO-52) 2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to new and useful automatic and manually operated multiple switch fire alarm stations and, particularly, embodies improvements on the fire alarm signal stations set forth in my copending patent applications Serial No. 147,782, filed March 6, 1950, now Patent No. 2,545,854, dated March 20, 1951, and Serial No. 200,373, filed December 12, 1950, now Patent No. 2,570,823, dated October 9, 1951.

One very important object ofthe present invention is to produce a fire alarm signal station which will operate automatically under the action of heat and which can be operated manually by a person discovering a fire in the building in which a station or stations are installed for the purpose of warning the occupants of the building of probable danger.

Another object of this invention is to produce aiirealarm station including a support or housing for a primary-resilient circuit closer or switch which is normally maintained in an inoperative condition by a fragile and breakable panel disposed'across an open front in said housing and engaging the resilient movable element or arm of said primary switch which will be released upon breakin of the panel, and a secondary resilientcircuit closer or switch element normally maintained in an inoperative condition by fusible means whereby said secondary switch element may be released under the action of abnormal or excessive heat in the vicinity of the station.

Another object of the invention is to produce a the alarm station'including" two circuit closing elements in an electric alarm circuit, one to be normally retained in an inoperative condition by fragile means that can be broken by the manual operationof a suitable instrument and the other normally retained in an inoperative condition by fusible means subject to the action of abnormal heat, the release of either or both of said circuit elosingmeans actuating a warning alarm device.

Aiurther object of this invention is to produce a fire alarm station of the type mentioned wherein the secondary circuit closing element can function without effecting the condition or mounting of the fragile panel.

A still further object of this invention-is to so construct the housing of the fire alarm station that the parts may be readily and easily assembled and tests made of its operativeness without breaking the fragile panel or removing the fusible means.

with the above and other objects in. v ew this invention consist: of the details of construction 2 and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those'skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of an automatic and manually operated multiple switch fire alarm station constructed in accordance with and embodying the features'of my invention.

Fig. 2 is .a similar view illustrating a slight modification with the hammer and component parts left on.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, in perspective, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.with the fragile panel and its retaining ring removed.

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied l0 represents a support, housing or body of the fire alarm station havin a chamber II formed in thefront face thereof so that the front end of said chamber is open to the exterior of the housing. The open end of the chamber II is surrounded by a seat l2 forthe fragile panel 13, such as glass, said panel being. detachably held in place by appropriate securing means. For purposes of illustration the securing means is shown as including a ring comprised of an annulus I4 telescoped over a portion of the body or housing In and provided with an inturned flange [5 overlyingv the outer face of the panel l3 adjacent its rim, said ring being attached to the body or housing by fastening devices it, such as screws.

In the bottom of the chamber II is formed a cavity ll which is bridged by a stationary contact member l8 preferably in the form of a plate of good electric conductivity securely and positively fastened in place by screws l9 and 20 projected through they back of the body and threaded into the stationary contact member to hold it fast against the bottom of the chamber I I. One of the screws, as 20, is of sufficient length to accommodate a conductor, represented by the clip 2|, of an electric alarm system including a signal means (not shown), such as a bell.

On thelbottom of the chamber II is mounted an anchor plate 22 which is secured in place by screws 23 and .24 projected through the back of the body and threaded into the anchor plate 22 and one of Said screws as 24, is long enough to accommodate a conductor of the electric alarm system. The screw 23 extends beyond the front face of the anchor plate 22 a sufficient distance to accommodate the eye 25 of the stiff, strong, single strand spring wire movable contact member 26 and a nut 21.

The movable contact member 26, as stated above, is formed from strong spring wire fashioned to provide the eye 25 at one end from which the wire extends outwardly and then bent back as a U-shaped loop 26 to one side of said eye with the branches of said loop in the same plane as the coil of the eye. From the U-shaped loop the wire is bent outward and then inward to provide an elbow 29, the legs of which diverge, and finally the end of said wire is bent to lie in a plane parallel with the plane of the branches of the U-shaped loop 23 to form the-contact terminal 30.

The movable contact member 26 is fastened to the anchor plate by placing the eye 25 over the screw 2| and screwing the nut 21 in position on said screw 2|, with the contact terminal end projecting into the cavity l1 and in back of the stationary contact member. The cavity I1 is of sufiicient depth to allow a limited oscillatory movement of the contact terminal end of the movable contact member 26 whereby said end may be moved out of engagement with the stationary contact member I8 under certain conditions.

Also, the elbow 29 is of such dimensions that when the contact terminal end 3|) of the movable contact member is in engagement with the under side of the stationary member l8 said elbow 29 projects outside of the plane of the seat l2. Therefore, when the elbow is in or inside of the plane of the shoulder, as when retracted by the panel |3 resting on said seat l2, the contact terminal end 30 will be out of engagement with the stationary contact member I8.

The stationary contact member l8, the anchor plate 22, the screws for said member and plate, and the primary movable contact member or arm 26 constitute a switch which is retained in an open condition when said movable member 26 is retracted by contact of the fragile panel I3 with the elbow portion 29 and said fragile panel is secured in place but permitted to close when the fragile panel is broken or removed.

A secondary resilient movable contact member 3|, Figs. 1 and 4, is provided to also close under certain conditions different from those which cause the primary contact member 26 to close. In this particular form of the invention, the secondary movable contact member or element 3| includes a contact portion 32 independent of any of the other switch parts but adapted to bridge the opposite sides of poles thereof to close the switch irrespective of the movable member 26. The contact portion 32, as herein illustrated, is adapted to engage the stationary contact member I8 and the anchor plate 22 for closing the switch and said contact portion is carried by a stem 33 projecting through an aperture 34 in a side wallof the housing or body 19 so that the outer end of said stem projects outside of said housing or body.

The aperture 34, preferably, is in the form of a notch extendingvinwardly from the seat l2 so that the outer end of said notch is open for the insertion of the stem 33 prior to the assembly'of the fragile panel on said seat. The secondary movable contact member 3| is urged inwardly by a spring 35 between the inner surface of the housing side wall and the contact portion 32.

Said secondary movable member is temporarily retained in a retracted or outward position by fusible means 36 subject to the action of abnormal or excessive heat. For purposes of illustration the fusible means 36 is shown as united to the stem 33 of the secondary movable member or element 3| and engaging the outer surface of the side wall of the housing Ill adjacent the aperture and said fusible means is so positioned longitudinally of the stem that the secondary movable member will be in a retracted position and the spring compressed while the fusible means is intact.

To assemble the device, the switch elements, including the primary movable element 26, are preferably mounted on the bottom of the chamber II and the secondary movable member 3| positioned by inserting the stem thereof in the aperture with the spring under compression and the fusible element in engagement with a suitable I part of the housing. If the aperture is a hole,

the stem is projected through it and the fusible means subsequently applied but if said aperture is in the form of a notch the spring and fusible means can be applied to the stem of the secondary movable member and the latter installed by inserting the stem thereof sidewise into the open end of said notch with the spring held under compression until the installation is completed. Finally the fragile panel is placed on its seat and secured in place by the ring I4 and its fastening devices I6. The seating of the panel will press the primary movable member 26 into a retracted position, Fig. 3, and hold the end 39 out of engagement with the stationary contact member l8 so the switch is open.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 the secondary movable contact member 31 is produced from spring wire and is fashioned to provide an eye 38 for fixedly securing said secondary movable member to one side or pole of,

Preferably the contact portions 39, 39a are located on opposite sides of the switch and the stems 40, 40a project through the apertures 4|, 4 la, located in spaced relation about the housing.

These apertures are, preferably in the form of, notches or open ended slots, as previously de-' scribed, with the open ends finally closed by the fragile panel when secured upon its seat. The

contact portions 39, 39a are temporarily retained in retracted positions by fusible means 42 subject.

to the action of abnormal or excessive heat and as here shown the fusible means is united to each stem 40, 40a so located that said fusible means is in engagement with a part of the interior surface of the housing l0 when the contact portions. of the secondary movable member are ret'ractedj.

Like in the other form of the device above described, the secondary movable member may have the fusible means in place on each stem and then assembled by inserting the stems in the open ends of the apertures as the balance of said. secondary movable member is inserted through the open end of the chamber After'the secondary movable member isassembled the fragilev panel is mounted, which will retract the primary movable member, and the device is ready for installation and operation.

For convenience in operating the device man-'- ually, a hammer 43, Fig. 1, may be attached to the housing by a flexible means 44, such as a chain, and the hammer can be suspended from a hook 45.

In practice, a station is installed wherever convenient and desirable and the two sides or poles of the switch are connected by wires to a source of electric current and an alarm device, such as a bell. Should a person become aware of a fire the frangible panel can be broken to release the primary movable member which will close the alarm circuit but if no one is present or cannot reach the station to break the fragile panel the excessive or abnormal heat in the vicinity of the station will melt the fusible means thereby releasing a secondary movable member which will automatically close the switch and therefore complete the alarm circuit. In either case a warning alarm will be given.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. An automatic and manually operated fire alarm station comprising a housing with a chamber therein open at the front, a panel seat surrounding said open front, a fragile panel mounted on the seat with means to hold said panel in place, a stationary contact and an anchoring means secured within the chamber and constituting the poles of a switch structure, a resiliently operated primary movable contact member fixed to the anchoring means and in cooperative relation to the stationary contact, said primary movable contact member normally being held out of engagement with the stationary contact by the fragile panel which when broken releases said primary movable contact member to complete a circuit for producing a continuous alarm, a second resiliently operated movable contact member for bridging the poles of the switch structure,

said second movable contact member including a contact portion and a stem bodily resiliently urged inwardly, said stem projecting through an aperture in a wall of the housing, and fusible means joined to said stem and engaging the exterior surface of the housing wall surrounding said aperture.

2. An automatic and manually operated fire alarm station comprising a housing with a chamber therein open at the front, a panel seat surrounding said open front, a fragile panel mounted on the seat with means to hold said panel in place, a stationary contact and an anchoring means secured within the chamber and constituting the poles of a switch structure, aresiliently operated primary movable contact member fixed to the anchoring means and in cooperative relation to the stationary contact, said primary movable contact member normally being held out of engagement with the stationary contact by the fragile panel which when broken releases said primary movable contact member to complete a circuit for producing a continuous alarm, a second resiliently operated movable contact member for bridging the poles of the switch structure, said second movable contact member including a contact portion and a stem bodily resiliently urged inwardly, said stem projecting through a notch in a wall of the housing, said notch opening on the seat to constitute an entrance which is closed by the panel when seated, and fusible means joined to said stem and engaging the exterior surface of the housing wall surrounding said notch.

MORRIS LEVY.

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